Tikiting thru Bintan, Indonesia

Note Australian Penfold Merlot wine in front pannier pocket for a more spirited ride!

Bintan is the largest of the Riau Islands in Indonesia and is about 3 times the size of Singapore. The northern portion has been developed as an upmarket playground for the well heed, boasting of Club Med, Banyan Tree and other hotel chains. However for the adventure cyclist, this is our nearest Disneyland with long, quiet, good roads and enough hills to call upon Granny (the gear ie). Throw in superb coastal views especially along Trikora Beach, its no wonder cartographer cyclist Jan Boonstra ranks this the best Riau Island to explore.

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My good friend Dr Mike Khaw mustered a team of 4 foldies and a Surly LHT to celebrate my short return to Asia. Mike is a foodie and a foldist, passions that I share deeply. We landed north at the Bintan Ferry Terminal and made our way 68km to Ocean Bay Resort at Trikora. The super smooth Catamaran Ferry made the 45 min sea journey painless and this ultra modern ferry terminal is very unlike sleeze central of Tg Pinang.

OBR kindly send us a van with driver to meet us and carried all our luggage. This was the first time for me, and I did not mind one bit.

The weather was cloudy with intermittent rain and that meant a relatively cool and breezy ride. 4, 12, 33 were the magic numbers we needed to note as these represented turn-off km points, courtesy of Jan's sharing. Ian, who first saw my 16" Bike Friday tikit wondered if this small wheel commuter could handle the challenging terrain. However, from the word GO, the tikit earned his respect and he called it "The Rabbit".

I myself was pleasantly surprised at how well the tikit toured, how it climbed and how absolutely rock steady it was at 40-50kmh downhills. Some of the roads were pretty bad but the tikit cruised through them with no drama.


Our largely small wheeled posse attracted a lot of attention from the locals including the security personnel, fishermen and durian sellers. We arrived at Ocean Bay Resort and was given a 5 star reception and treated to a huge seafood lunch of crabs, prawns, fish and soup. This more than made up for the simple rooms on stilts over the sea.

What a glorious start to a great cycling holiday in Bintan!

Another one bites the lust...

The international folding bike community is a small but closely knitted one. Nat who blogs on Pedscaper has finally got himself a foldie, a Novarra Buzz Flyby. This is basically a Dahon MU Sport remarketed and its main feature that I really like is its Nexus 8 Speed internal hub gear. It also helps that the colour and decal job is extremely snazzy. Throw in mud guards as standard and voila, this is one heck of a commuter.

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I lurk around Nat's blog quite a bit and HE is an ardent cyclist and a fellow Surly LHT owner too. I was quite honoured to be named the originator of Foldinitis by him and this is certainly a good disease to be spreading, considering the present H1N1 Flu virus.

Do check out his excellent and most interesting musings about bikes, travel, commuting, photography and a host of other exciting stuff on his blog.

May your new found lust continue to last for many years to come Nat!

From 2c to 32c...

It's the 2 week school hols in Australia and we are in Singapore catching up with family, friends and of course, cycling. Coming from the dead of winter into the sweltering humidity of the tropics gave me a migraine, literally.

The first thing I did was to fix up the new rack for my Bike Friday tikit and this morning, I tested it with a touring pannier fitted on. I was mildly disappointed to open the package from Bike Friday only to find it was a commuter rack and not the dual touring one I had wanted. Anyway, it proved to be quite adequate as my panner is pretty generous and its one sided design meant it could still maintain its unique *hyperfold ability.

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My usual cycling buddies came along, all 6 of us for the ECP/Changi ride of 32km round trip. The weather was cloudy and I'm thankful for small mercies as it meant I would not be baked by the merciless tropical sun. I had to quickly get conditioned and used to the humidity as I shall be cycling off to Bintan, Indonesia in a few days time.

It was a complete joy and delight to ride my tikit again and I appreciated its razor sharp handling, even with one pannier in front. The ride is plush and the power delivery responsive. Soon, I was leading the pack together with my friend SC on his Surly LHT without realising it. I got carried away with riding the tikit! This is without a doubt, the best 16" foldie money can buy.

Whizzing along the excellent bike paths of the Changi Park Connectors, we skirted the busy international airport and enjoyed watching the huge planes landing and taking off so gracefully. It was also magic to ride along the coast with fresh breezes on our faces.

Today was also special as I met Theseus, a regular foldie cyclist on a Dahon Speed Pro TT. He rides there almost everyday with his wife and I took the opportunity to snap a picture with him. Somehow, the bond of smaller wheels must be celebrated.

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At Changi Village, we had our usual breakfast and I tucked into a huge plate of Nasi Lemak (coconut rice), washed down with fresh pineapple/orange juice. At the bike shop there, I installed a new model bar end on the tikit and Jason fitted it on very professionally. For US$16, this was truly what I needed to make my commuter tikit into a touring one.

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Richard who bought over my Dahon Helios 2 years ago showed me his latest gadgets. A saddle with a nifty pocket to contain his tools, phone, spare tube etc

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and an Otomo MP3 Player mounted beautifully on the handlebar cockpit. The sound was powerful and impressive and for one recharge, it gave 25 hours of play! I'm going to need that for my next touring trip. (Silly me shot this video vertically... so please excuse the wrong angle)

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All in, my first bike ride in the tropical heat after being in Australia proved too enjoyable. In the company of a good foldie and good friends, the heat can almost be ignored. Its great to be back!

*I had a chance to demonstrate the tikit's 5 sec fold to Peter, a curious cyclist at the Changi Village Food Centre, and he could not believe his eyes!

A new "grandson" for Grandpa Ken

The arrival of a new born child always bring much celebration and joy to any family. For the case of foldie fanatics, a new foldie does nearly the same thing and we shared this happy moment with Uncle Ken who brought along his brand new foldie for the first time on our Wed ride to Point Walter.

I asked Uncle Ken what he thought about his new "grandchild" and he replied, "Riding on it makes me feel like a teenager on a bike again!". Though its an entry level foldie, it comes fully equipped with a rack, mud guards, rear suspension, kick stand and Shimano's trusty 6 speed gear system. It also had V brakes and a front suspension all for less than $400! This must surely be the deal of the century.

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Its aptly named "The Commuter" by Outdoor Expedition, and it kept up with Rod, Colin and myself with no drama. Now, Uncle Ken has found new freedom from restrictive train curfews thanks to his foldie. Last I hear, he was going into the city by train to see his accountant, for business and the chance to show off his new "grandson".

Well done Uncle Ken and congrats! May you enjoy many happy hours on small wheels.

Hail the start of winter

Pic courtesy of RTS

When winter sets in, the cycling schedule gets all thrown out of sorts unless you are the type that ride even through freezing rains and winds. Last night, there was a thunderous sound on my roof and I came out only to discover that the sky was sprewing little ice pellets.

This is akin to having dangerous ball bearings all over the pathways, with more coming. While fun and exciting to watch and experience, I thought about the safety of those who are out cycling home when these hailstones literally pelt you relentlessly.

I hail the start of winter, with mixed feelings. Looks like my foldies will be keeping warm inside the heated house, and so will I.

Bike theft in action!

I saw this video posted on *Ecovelo and came away with a fresh appreciation for foldies. Arriving at your destination, just fold it and bring it into your office. Chuck the foldie under your desk and presto! No need to lock it outside and risk getting your bike swiped.

My nephew got 2 of his bikes stolen this way in crime-free Singapore. Get a foldie Nick.

And with some foldies like the Bike Friday tikit, you can even go grocery shopping with it as this video shows. Neat ya? Oh how I love foldies.

*Ecovelo is an amazing bike blog that has the most beautiful pics. Check it out.

Rain clouds to rainbow

Have you ever began a ride with threatening dark clouds and the prospect of getting well and truly drenched in 10c freezing weather? This was what happened to us on our regular Mandurah ride this week.

Somehow, Rod comforted shivering me when we got out of Mandurah Train Station at 0650 with the words, "Have faith! It will be a great day." As I mounted on my Speed Pro under the cover of billowing pregnant rain clouds, I wasn't so sure and donned my rain coat. The only thing I could hang on to was Rod's reputation as a former Bicycle Postie, and that meant he knew what he was talking about - weather wise at least.

As it turned out, the 55km ride went pretty well. The sun was struggling to punch out of the dark clouds, and it eventually won. Its rays were simply glorious, painting the dark sky with hues of orange light. Not riding for 2 weeks, my fitness took a dive and I found it difficult to keep up with my two 60+ yo super fit friends, much to my utter discouragement and dismay. An exhausting lesson on the importance of keeping up one's fitness.

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This is what I googled from sportsmedicine.com :

You start losing fitness (or deconditioning) in about two weeks if you stop exercise altogether. Once lost, it takes nearly three times as long to recondition as it took to "detrain."

Just as we ended the invigorating ride, a rainbow in its full splendor suddenly appeared. Such a fitting conclusion that got my heart singing a song, to the One from whom all good things come from.

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When the rainbow appears in the cloud, I'll see it and remember the eternal covenant between God and everything living, every last living creature on Earth. Genesis 9:16